What is Dog Gone Blog?

Dog Gone Blog is a blog for real dogs (if they could read and had the inclination and opposable thumbs to work a mouse) and the people who love them written by a professional dog trainer and owner of two labrador retrievers. Dog related product reviews, training tips, reader's photos, a healthy dose of opinion and merriment ensues.
We hope you will Sit, Stay and Speak. Enjoy!

Have a product you'd like reviewed?

All requests for reviews should be sent to Dog Gone Blog [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Gotta Feed the Dogs

Meet the Dogs

Watch out! I bite.

May 17, 2007

Look what the cat dragged in

Wow, is this place dusty, or what? And look at those cobwebs. It's going to take me forever to get all this cleared away. But I will. That is my commitment to... Me, since I'm probably the only one around to read this blawg.

Yes, I am back.

I miss sharing my opinions on all things dog with people who didn't ask for it. My main reason for taking a break from this blog back in January - besides my overall burnout - was that I doubted the commitment of the dog owners that I was meeting, both in my classes and out. I was tired of people wanting a ten minute fix for their dog's problems, problems that they themselves had caused. Problems they wanted to get fixed between commercials because that's what what's-his-name does. And why didn't I work the same way that what's-his-name did?

Other people's doubts made me doubt myself.

All these doubts, however, finally brought me back to what I know - dogs. I know dogs. I get dogs. I understand them more than I understand people sometimes. I love their expressive eyes and their simple nature. A simple nature that belies the complicated relationship that we have with these canine family members we call "Best Friend".

These complicated relationships are the stuff of novels and feature motion pictures. But it's also the root of where we oftentimes go wrong with our dogs. We imagine them to be more than they are but we're the ones who fall short. We fall short of fulfilling the responsibilities that we took on when acquiring one of these amazing creatures. I'd like to help with that.

When I started this blog I said it would be for "real" dogs and their owners. Not handbag dogs, designer dogs, or the breed du jour, but for the everyday dog. The mix down the street. The purebred pup that your sister and her husband just got. The dog behind the bars of your local shelter whose eyes spoke to you in a way that you just had to bring him home. This is my declaration that this blog will once again be for those dogs and others like them. The imperfect animal living in an imperfect world. The dog that has potential to complete an important portion of our lives if only we can step up to that challenge.

One of the features that I will be adding to this site, to go along my general lecturing on dog training and product reviews (because the reviews are the sugar that help the lecturing go down), is something I am extremely passionate about but one of those areas where dog owners screw up the most. It will be called "Tykes and Tails" and this regular feature will address how we raise our kids along with and alongside our dogs. I hope you'll share your stories and frustrations with me. Dog Gone Blog at Yahoo dot com.

I welcome any questions you have about dog training - even if you don't have kids - and hope you will allow me to use them on this blog. I enjoy helping dog owners. I love talking about dogs. Sit down, speak to me, let's talk about your dog.

Comments

Just found you so glad you're back! I have 2 kids (1 and 40 and a new to us rescue lab/shepherd mix nearly a year old. I want to do right by everyone and teach the doggy well, so will look forward to hearing what you have to say! Thanks